


Nobility Wants You (House of Hitsugaya #3)

by Gigai



Series: House of Hitsugaya [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29291886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gigai/pseuds/Gigai
Summary: The House of Hitsugaya series is a collection of chronological short stories from the first person POV of Toushiro Hitsugaya, beginning with his promotion to captain about 19 years before the manga starts.In this story, it becomes apparent that the newest Captain of the Court Guard Squads is attracting some unwelcome attention from the nobles quarters...
Series: House of Hitsugaya [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125452
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

“Sorry, what did you say?”

The messenger cleared his throat, looking a bit surprised at my question. “The House of Inada extends its greetings to you, and—”

“Yes, I heard that part,” I said, cutting him off before he could recite the long list of formalities again. “What was the last part of it?”

“Er … that the family has extended you the honor of becoming part of their family, by way of marriage to their—”

“No,” I said flatly, then hastily tried to think of something slightly more polite. “I must decline.”

The messenger looked as though he couldn’t decide whether to be stunned or offended. “You will not take time to consider such a gracious offer?” He was impeccably dressed, but that didn’t stop him from being a thin, lean man with an air of pomposity who constantly rubbed his hands together like some sort of grasping, greedy merchant lord.

“I cannot accept,” I repeated, and the messenger huffed audibly.

“The House of Inada will remember this insult, _Captain_.”

I resisted the urge to snap at the man, but something in my expression made him beat a hasty retreat, shutting the door to my office with a bit more force than necessary.

_…ugh. What the hell was that about, anyway?_

I’d been Captain of the Tenth Squad for two weeks now – no, actually, it would be two weeks tomorrow – and I had no idea what on earth had possessed some noble family to send an adoption proposal over, let alone one that included marriage to some random girl I’d never met before. I already _had_ a family, thanks very much, and if I ever did get married for some reason, it sure as hell wasn’t going to be anytime soon.

The door slid back open again, and I glowered at nothing in particular. “What?”

“You’re so grouchy, Captain!” Matsumoto said, letting herself in and shutting the door after her. “Was it bad news?”

“Some rich fool wants to adopt me,” I said, sighing.

“Lucky you. I’d love to be adopted by some rich family,” my Vice-Captain said, clearly amused.

“Gimme a break. Something like that’s got nothing to do with me.”

She came over and perched on the edge of my desk, scooting over a stack of papers to do so.

“Hey—”

“Captain,” her tone was suddenly serious, “you’re going to get more like that guy.”

I blinked. “What? Why?”

“Because you’re a captain now. The nobility is like that. If you were actually a noble yourself, you’d probably already have had half a dozen marriage proposals by the time you made third seat in this squad.”

“…did Captain Shiba get this crap?” I asked, suddenly curious. I’d never dealt with anything like that for my former captain, and Matsumoto hadn’t brought it up before.

She crossed her arms. “He’s … he was from one of the Five Great Families,” she corrected herself softly, then sighed. “He got them all the time, since he was from such an important family. He’d just turn them down and tell me he couldn’t bear to see me cry over losing him.”

I gave her a look. “Cry, huh?”

“Oh, _please_. Like I’d waste a moment of my time crying over that lazy—” she gestured, exasperated, then folded her arms again. “…anyway, I wouldn’t have cared if he got married. He just liked to tease me about it. Frankly, I think a wife might have forced him to work a little harder, so I’d have welcomed it.”

“If marriage forces someone to work harder, maybe you should consider it,” I said dryly.

“What’re you implying, Captain? Didn’t I finish off all that paperwork you gave me yesterday?”

“You did, and I only had to remind you once. If you could do that maybe… oh, _every day_ , that would be even better.”

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Working that hard all the time makes your subordinates unhappy, Sir.”

“My subordinates? Or just you?” I asked warily, and she changed the subject.

“Anyway! You should definitely expect more to come.” She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “If you want me to deal with them, I can do that.”

I was really, _really_ tempted, honestly. “No-o,” I said finally, hesitating. “No, don’t worry about it. It’s my problem, I guess, I’ll deal with it.”

She frowned slightly. “You know, there’s nothing wrong with depending on the adults around you sometimes.”

“If I saw a reliable adult, maybe I would,” I retorted. “Get your butt off my desk.”

She scooted off, chuckling, and went over to her desk without being asked. Matsumoto had a tendency to slack off, and she regularly seemed hell-bent on driving me crazy, but she was also reliable when it counted. It felt weird sometimes, knowing that with a little more effort and motivation she might have made a more suitable replacement for Captain Shiba than me.

Well, and a bankai, I guess. If she had one, she hadn’t ever used it where I could see it, and I was pretty sure she didn’t. Her reiatsu was powerful enough to be a Vice-Captain’s, but it didn’t have the subtle hallmarks of someone who’d achieved the second form of their zanpakuto. She didn’t seem interested in being a captain, despite her occasional jokes about it, and I was grateful there wasn’t any hostility from her about my promotion.

I went back to my paperwork, starting over on the page I’d accidentally spoiled with a blot of ink when the Inada’s messenger had come in unexpectedly.

Maybe Matsumoto would be wrong about this. I could only hope, anyway.

***

A few weeks later, it was becoming painfully apparent that Matsumoto had a finer grasp of the Seireitei’s politics and ambitions than I did.

“…I’m sorry. I have to decline.”

The latest messenger gave me the same incredulous look the last two had, bowed, and retreated from my office in stony silence.

I put my head in my hands and sighed.

“Captain?”

“I’m fine. I really didn’t take you seriously when you said there’d be more,” I said, suddenly tired. There were a million things to do every day, I needed to pick a replacement for the officer’s seat I had previously occupied, and having stupidly pointless interruptions like these weren’t helping any. “Did they get pissed off at the Captain too? Or am I doing something wrong, here?”

Matsumoto had been standing to my right, waiting for the messenger to finish after he’d interrupted our discussion on possible third seat candidates, but she went over and sprawled on the couch that sat in the little sitting area in front of my desk, folding her arms underneath her head as she leaned back. “Mmmm. I don’t think so, but I’m just somebody from the Rukongai, like you. I don’t think they could have afforded to get mad at Captain Shiba even if they’d wanted to.”

“Well, I’m going to have the entire Seireitei mad at me in under a year if this keeps up,” I said, disgusted with the whole affair. “It’s a pain.”

Matsumoto chewed her lip. “I’d try to avoid that, Captain. Noble families aren’t people you want to irritate.”

“I don’t give one crap about how irritated they are,” I snapped. “I’m irritated too. Unlike some people, _I_ have to work for a living. If they want so badly to impress me, they could at least be considerate of _that_ much.”

“You should talk to … hmmm, let’s see. Oh! Captain Ukitake! You should definitely talk to him about it.”

“…that guy who thinks having a similar name to mine makes me his younger brother or something?”

“Oh, he’s like that with everyone,” Matsumoto said cheerfully. “He’s got a big family and a lot of younger brothers and sisters, so it comes naturally to him.”

I sighed. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Nope; no you don’t.” She got up from the couch abruptly, coming back to my desk and shoving a stack of papers off with no warning.

“Hey—!" I lunged for them, but they scattered through my fingers and skittered across the floor.

“Ooops. My hand slipped,” she said sweetly.

“ _Matsumoto_.”

“Tell you what, Sir, while I get this picked up and organized again, why don’t you go talk to Captain Ukitake? He’s from a noble family, so he might be able to give you some good advice.”

“I’ll deal with it,” I said, still irked at her, but she shook her head.

“You’ll deal with what? You’ll keep making them mad, you mean?”

“I don’t really care if a bunch of nobles get pissed off. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

She poked me in the chest. _Hard_. “Listen to me. You’re our captain now, understand? So if you have a bunch of high ranking families mad at _you_ , they’re mad at _us_ too. Deciding you don’t care is one thing, but this affects your squad, Captain.”

_…oh._ “That … I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry.”

“If you understand, then please take care of it, Sir,” she said, her voice gentler than it had been. “You don’t have to like what goes on with the nobility, but saying things like ‘it’s got nothing to do with me’ is just ignorant.”

That rankled, but she definitely had a point. “Just clean all this up, would you? You could have pointed that out without making a mess.”

“But it got your attention,” she pointed out, making no move to clean up anything.

“Matsumoto.”

“Captain?”

I sighed.

Again. “I’m going to take a walk. This had better be cleaned up when I get back, understand?”

“Taking a walk in the direction of Squad Thirteen’s barracks?” she prodded, a note of steel in her voice.

“Yeah.”

“Okay! she half-sang cheerily. “Have fun, Captain!”

I got up and left the chaos behind. It was starting to feel like autumn, and there were a few trees around the barracks that were already starting to turn colors faintly. It wasn’t really chilly yet until the sun set, though.

The Seireitei was a confusing maze of streets and passageways and stairs, which they’d taught us in Shino Academy was pretty typical of castle towns. The most important structures were hidden in the center, like Sokyoku Hill and the quarters of the nobility, Squad One, and Central 46, the court that governed the Seireitei. The barracks of the other 12 squads were scattered around the middle and outer edges, with shops and other facilities sandwiched between them. There were patches of grass and courtyards here and there, but it was largely the same grey tiled corridors flanked by white walls and ochre colored clay roof tiles.

It was an absolute _maze_ to anyone not familiar with it or cursed enough to have terrible luck with directions. I’d gotten lost more than once when I’d first been accepted to Squad Ten, though I’d quickly learned that wandering around looking lost was a great way to hear the inevitable, “Are you lost, little boy?” from some older shinigami that wasn’t in my squad and had no idea who this upstart in a shihakusho was.

Of course, that meant that any potential intruders that might make it past the heavily fortified walls and gates were going to get lost trying to find their way as well. There were more than a few dead-ends and extremely narrow passageways deliberately scattered about for that exact purpose. An ordinary person trying to wander the perimeter of the city might have easily needed ten days to traverse it, but flash-stepping took almost no time at all. It was still almost an hour of traveling each way, but I didn’t mind.

The barracks, training grounds, and other facilities for Squad Thirteen’s men were near the West Gate, guarding it along with Squad Five. Momo had more chances to run home and visit than I did, since her barracks was much closer. Squad Ten’s barracks weren’t actually assigned one of the four outer gates to guard – instead, we watched over one of the three gates to the innermost parts of the city, along with Squads Six and Eight.

_…come to think of it, that means I’m_ definitely _going to be forced to deal with more nobles than I’d like._

I gave a disgusted sigh.

I don’t hate nobles, actually. I just don’t have any particular warmth for them, either.

Why should someone else be treated as more or less of a person because of who there were born to, anyway?

It sounded like a lot of crap to me. The kind that adults made up when they needed to feel superior about something.

There was more grassy areas the further out I went, and I liked that a bit better than all the tiled courtyards surrounding our squad. I might have grown up in Junrinan, but Grandma’s house was in the more rural part of it, where the farmlands met the town, and I missed having trees to climb and frogs to chase and chickens to pet (though I used to chase those, too, until Grandma caught me doing it).

Since it was on the outskirts of the Seireitei, there were a few rivers that ended in a lake here. Most of the training grounds and barracks were spacious, cheerful looking buildings that were only one or two floors high. Out past them, a few more isolated buildings were built around and in the lake, perched on bamboo stilts above the water.

I headed towards the first person I saw, a tall, thin woman with black hair swept into a knot at the back of her head. “Excuse me.”

“Yes, Sir?” she asked, immediately standing a bit straighter.

“Please tell your Captain that Captain Hitsugaya of the Tenth Squad would like to speak with him, if he has the time. It’s not an urgent matter.”

“Of course, Captain Hitsugaya.”

She bowed, set aside the broom she’d been sweeping the walks with, and vanished into one of the larger buildings a little further down.

After a moment, she returned and bowed again. “Captain Ukitake is in the Ugendo right now, but he’s feeling well enough to speak with you.”

“I can come back at some other time if he’s resting,” I began, but she shook her head.

“The Vice-Captain says he’s doing much better today. Please, follow me.”

I hadn’t spoken with Ukitake much, so I only knew generally that he wasn’t in the best of health. Summers seemed to be difficult for him, and he’d missed several recent meetings since I’d been made a Captain.

The shinigami took me through a few different courtyards, scattered with other soldiers who were laughing, talking, or practicing against each other.

_I wonder if squads end up reflecting their captains?_

That was a sobering thought.


	2. Nobility Wants You 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The House of Hitsugaya series is a collection of chronological short stories from the first person POV of Toushiro Hitsugaya, beginning with his promotion to captain about 19 years before the manga starts.
> 
> In this story, Captain Ukitake gives some much needed advice on handling nobility...

The Ugendo was a small building, only slightly bigger than a tea house with rounded windows. I’d initially thought it _was_ a tea house, perched on stilts over the lake that occupied part of Squad Thirteen’s area.

“He likes to watch the koi when he’s not feeling well,” the female shinigami said, as if she’d answered the question I hadn’t asked before, with other visitors.

“I’m sorry to hear he’s unwell again,” I said.

“Well, we’d all prefer he stay healthy, but we don’t mind helping out when he’s unwell. Our Captain is a wonderful person, and we’re lucky to have him.”

That said a lot about Captain Ukitake. Most subordinates wouldn’t exactly be thrilled with a captain that was constantly falling ill and pushing more work onto them, but the morale seemed pretty good here.

The shinigami led me along a reed walkway, out over the water, then knocked twice at the door. “Captain?”

“Yes, come on in,” Ukitake said. His voice didn’t sound as strong as it had, but he wasn’t coughing.

The shinigami slid the door open, letting me step inside. “Sir, may I bring you both some tea?”

“Yes, Miyako, thank you. Some of those snacks that Shunsui sent me as well, I think.”

“Of course, Sir.”

The door slid shut again quietly, and Ukitake half-coughed, half chuckled. “Please, have a seat, Captain Hitsugaya.”

“I’m sorry for bothering you when you’re unwell.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ve been feeling much better today. The nights are getting cooler, finally.

“It’s been nice sleeping weather,” I agreed. There’s this unspoken rule of polite conversation that you _never_ just start out talking about what you’re really there for, which I’ve always kind of felt was a bit of a waste of time. Grandma didn’t feel that way though, and Momo had elbowed me more than once for being too blunt.

I was _trying_ to do better.

There were way too many rules about interacting with people, honestly. It was exhausting.

“I’m looking forward to watching the leaves change colors,” Ukitake said. He was sitting up in a cushioned floor chair, wearing a loosely draped kimono in blue. An ice pack sat nearby, dripping into a small bamboo tub that had been provided. “I’ve been watching the koi today, so you haven’t interrupted anything. My squad won’t let me get back to work just yet, so I don’t have anything to do right now.”

“You have capable subordinates,” I said. “And they’re right, you should take care of your health first, so you don’t worry them.”

That might have been too blunt, but Ukitake just chuckled. “Now you sound like Kaien. So, what brings you to my squad, Captain?”

I sighed. “…you’re nobility, if I recall correctly?”

“Yes. The House of Ukitake isn’t a particularly grand one, but we are technically nobles. We’re from the Rukongai, like you are.”

That was surprising. “I thought all nobles lived in the Seireitei?”

Ukitake gave a wry smile. “Well, the important ones do, but many lesser families live in the Rukon Districts. There isn’t enough room in the Seireitei for all of us, and land there is pretty expensive. To maintain a house and the grounds that a family’s estate might sit on is too costly for poorer noble houses to attempt.”

“Oh. I see.”

“I suppose my family could afford a small property here with the salary I make now, but my parents have no interest in moving away, and I’d rather use that money to make sure my brothers and sisters can attend the Academy, if they choose to do so.”

I blinked. “The Academy has an entrance fee?” It hadn’t, not when I’d attended.

“For nobility, yes,” Ukitake replied. “It’s not an exorbitant sum, and it varies depending on the noble status of a household, but that money ensures the upkeep and running of Shino Academy, and it allows them to accept ordinary citizens for free.”

“That … that never occurred to me,” I said, feeling a bit stupid for not realizing the obvious. “Sorry about that.”

“No, not at all. There’s no reason you would have known,” Ukitake sounded cheerful, despite the lingering pallor in his face. “I’m guessing your visit has something to do with the nobility?”

“I’ve been captain for a month,” I said flatly. “One month. And I’ve already turned down _three_ marriage proposals. I figure at the rate I’m going I’ll have at least half the Seireitei pissed at me by the end of the year.”

Ukitake’s eyes widened slightly, followed by a rueful grin he quickly stifled. “Ah … I suppose one of us should have warned you about that.”

“This is normal, then?”

“Well, I don’t know that I’d say it’s normal to have that many already, but…” Ukitake frowned, thinking for a moment. “How much do you know about nobility?”

“Most of them seem to be useless and easily offended,” I said thoughtlessly, then immediately regretted how blunt the words sounded.

_I’m always doing that. Hurting people’s feelings when I don’t want to._

“I suppose that’s how most people from Rukongai would feel,” Ukitake said.

“…I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Sorry.”

“Well, you might not want to go around saying that to other people, but I know what you mean. Noble families are supposed to use their power and influence to improve the lives of those they’re responsible for, but many of them don’t.”

There was a knock at the door, and Miyako returned, setting out cups, a small plate of snacks, and pouring us each a steaming cup of tea before setting the pot on the small table nearby and leaving with a bow to both of us.

“My third seat,” Ukitake said, sipping his tea. “I’ve really come to rely on her and Kaien.”

He waited for me to take a sip of my own tea, then sighed. “You’ve received three already, you mentioned?”

“Yeah.”

“They were probably low to mid-ranking nobles. The Five Great Noble families don’t – well, they usually don’t marry commoners, since it would only be detrimental to their positions. Nobility that aren’t as high ranking usually are more receptive to the idea of adopting commoners into the main or branch families to continue the family line, make political alliances, or to gain favor with another family.”

“…branch families?” It sounded familiar, like the sort of thing they might have mentioned in Shino Academy classes, but I’d paid more attention to the courses on history and training than the ones on etiquette or lineage.

“Ah, sorry. Basically, a family – an _ie_ – is the entire household, right? Noble families split these into _honke_ and _bunke_ , main and branch families. The main family is the line of succession – usually the oldest son and his family and direct heir, and branch families are those not in the line of succession.” Ukitake said, taking another sip of tea. “My younger brother, Yushiro, was the heir to my family, for example. If he’d had a son, then his son would have been the heir, and whenever his other children were of marriageable age, they would have split off from the main family. Girls marry into other families or we adopt their husband as a branch family. Boys simply start their own branch family.”

“It sounds complicated,” I said, not particularly interested, but trying to be polite. I’d come here to ask advice, after all, and it was his time I was wasting.

“It’s supposed to avoid succession disputes,” Ukitake said, then added, “though it sometimes creates more problems that it solves, really,” in a much softer voice.

“You’re not the heir?” I asked, curious.

“That was something my parents and I discussed, actually. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to make me the heir, but we were all concerned my health would make it impossible for me.” Ukitake smiled for a moment. “You’d have liked Yushiro, I think. You remind me of him, a little. He didn’t have a lot of patience for all the ceremony and stilted politeness that comes with having noble blood.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to meet him,” I said, unsure why the captain seemed suddenly saddened and unwilling to pry further.

“He passed away shortly before his first child was born. It was pneumonia,” Ukitake said simply.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”

The small hut was silent for several moments as I tried to think of something else to say and failed miserably.

_It seems like bad health must run in the Ukitake family…_

“At any rate, you didn’t come here to listen to my problems,” Ukitake said, brightening somewhat. “I apologize.”

I shook my head. “No, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no reason you should apologize. I’m the one taking up your time.”

“Well, I’m glad you came,” he replied. “Aside from the marriage proposals, I hope the position has been going smoothly for you?”

“Yes, thankfully.”

“If you ever need anything, feel free to drop by and chat. In regards to those nobles … hmmm.”

“I don’t know what to do with them,” I said, exasperation creeping into my voice. “I’m just a Rukongai brat. There’s no reason anyone like those guys would want me.”

Ukitake shook his head. “On the contrary – it’s not at all uncommon for commoners who distinguish themselves as a shinigami to get adopted by way of marriage into a family. It raises the prestige and influence of the noble family, and in some cases can help provide income to the household.”

“You wouldn’t think nobles would be lacking for money,” I said, and Ukitake grimaced slightly.

“I think most people assume that, yes, but the fact is that many lower nobles are actually fairly poor. Inheriting property is one thing, but managing it and maintaining the house and grounds take money, even out in the Rukongai.”

I belatedly recalled what he’d said earlier about his own household and winced inwardly.

_Why do I always say cold, cutting things when I don’t mean to?_

Grandma said I was socially awkward, and I’d grow out of it.

I was far more skeptical about that possibility.

“It also raises the prestige of the commoner,” Ukitake added, and I sighed.

“I don’t care about that. I’ve got no intention of giving up my family name or being adopted by anyone, and there’s no way in hell I’m getting married right now.”

He chuckled a bit at my bluntness. “A lot of nobles end up getting betrothed at your age, so it’s not surprising that they’re asking. It’s not that you’d be getting married now, at your age, rather … it’s just a promise that you’ll do so when you’re an adult. In some extreme cases, much higher ranking nobility will get married around your age, but those marriages are generally political in nature, and there’s no expectation that it be … consummated, if you will, until both spouses are of age. I’d have to see the proposals to know for certain, but my guess is those marriage offers would be betrothals, and in the meantime you’d simply be raised as a member of the household.”

“I’ve got no intention of doing something like that,” I said. “I don’t care who they are. I’m not going to join some family that’s just going to look down on me for where I come from. I’ve already _got_ a family.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Ukitake said gently.

“The messengers seem to think so,” I said wearily. “I’m offending them somehow, but I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. Captain Shiba never seemed to have these problems with them.”

To my surprise, Ukitake laughed.

“Oh, sorry. I’m not laughing at you,” he managed after a moment and a few coughs. “It just made me picture Isshin dealing with it. No, I don’t expect he had any difficulties with proposals and declining them – but he was a Shiba. No noble family would dare to be seen as potentially disrespecting one of the Five Great Noble Families. It’s likely that he received far fewer requests than you, simply because few nobles would have the ability or position to make such an offer without it being potentially insulting.”

That actually made sense. “And he’d have been able to turn them down immediately without issues due to his position as well,” I added thoughtfully.

“…Toushiro, have you been turning them down right away?”

Ukitake looked so comically shocked for a moment that I totally ignored the oddness of being addressed so personally by a relative stranger.

“…y-yeah?” I thought about it for a moment. “Well, I listened to the first one all the way through. I think I actually asked him to repeat himself, because it was such a weird request. Then I declined. The other two I think I might have cut off before they finished. I don’t remember, actually.”

Ukitake just stared at me for another moment, incredulous.

“I probably shouldn’t have done that…”

He sighed.

Well, it was partly a sigh. The other part sounded distinctly like a groan.

“Captain.”

“Yeah,” I said, apprehensive.

“Tell you what. In the future, when you get one of those requests, why don’t you ask for time to consider it, thank them, and then bring it to me – or Kaien, if I’m not feeling well.”

“I’ve got no intention of saying yes, though…” I protested, and he shook his head.

“It’s not about what you’re saying, it’s about how you’re saying it. Even someone from one of the Five Great Noble Families wouldn’t immediately turn down such a request before pretending to consider it. To say no _immediately_ implies that the offer is so ridiculous, it’s insulting.”

I wanted to say that, yeah, that was pretty much exactly how I’d felt about the entire thing, but I didn’t.

“So I’ve been extremely rude, basically.”

Ukitake nodded, and I gave a disgusted sigh.

“There’s nothing at all wrong with being a commoner, but you’re going to inevitably be dealing with the nobility now and then, due to your squad’s location by one of the gates to the inner Seireitei districts.” Ukitake refilled my tea mug, and I took the teapot from him and did the same for his cup. I might not have been raised in a lofty household, but even I knew it was rude to make someone pour their own drink.

“Thanks, Toushiro. Do you mind if I call you that?”

I waffled internally. “…nah, it’s fine I guess.”

“Good! You can call me Jushiro.”

That was a bit further than I was willing to go. I didn’t know him that well yet, but it seemed pretty clear he’d already started thinking of me as one of his younger brothers or something.

“You’re more senior than I am,” I said finally, arriving at a solution that I didn’t think would hurt his feelings. “I’ll keep calling you Ukitake.”

He chuckled. “There’s really no need to, but whatever feels most comfortable to you is fine. Now, for the houses you’ve already snubbed, there’s probably not much you can do. However, going forwards, if you receive more offers like that, tell them you’re flattered and require some time to consider their offer.”

“Ugh.”

“It’s better than ending up making enemies of them,” Ukitake said reasonably. “Then just bring that proposal here, and either Kaien or I will help you write a polite refusal. We’re both more used to dealing with this sort of thing than you are, so we should be able to keep things from getting out of hand.”

“I wish they’d just stop, honestly.”

Ukitake rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Even though he’d been unwell, he was still perfectly clean-shaven, and I wondered for a moment if he was simply one of those guys that didn’t need to shave very often.

“You could probably get them to stop if you announced your betrothal to one of their houses, but I don’t think anything short of that would make them give up. You’ve already proven yourself to be an exceptionally gifted young man simply by graduating from Shino Academy in only a year. There’s only one other student that’s done that recently, you know.”

I nodded. The teachers at the Academy had mentioned him frequently as I’d rapidly passed my exams and gained mastery over my zanpakuto.

_Gin Ichimaru. Another child prodigy that quickly graduated and became a third seat in the fifth squad, then a Vice-Captain, and more recently, a Captain for Squad Three._

He’d been at my induction ceremony a month ago. He hadn’t stopped to speak to me, just nodded on the way out with narrowed eyes and a slight smirk.

I didn’t have any personal opinion on him, but I suddenly wondered if there was any animosity due to my own success. I’d done what Ichimaru had, but faster and at a younger age.

Maybe he was just like that to everyone. It was hard to tell.

“Any commoner that manages to rise to a captain-class position usually attracts some attention from houses wanting to increase their status,” Ukitake said.

“I’ve got no intention of getting betrothed to anybody,” I said, suddenly tired. Imagining the constant stream of demands from these stupid people was enough to make me regret accepting the position for a moment.

“I think we can manage that,” Ukitake said cheerfully, patting me on the shoulder. “Just come to me for advice, so we can avoid any more difficulties for you or your squad.”

I nodded silently.

Matsumoto was right. No matter how little I cared about the stupid sensibilities of stupid old men and their stupidly complicated rules, I was going to have to start paying attention, or risk causing problems for the people around me.

“Now, was there anything else? I think … I think I might need to rest for a bit, but – oh! The snacks! You should take those with you!”

“No, that’s all right,” I said. “I really came for the advice.”

Ukitake pushed the bowl towards me. “You should take them with you! I have lots of them, don’t worry.”

“I …” They looked like sugary, fashionable candies and rice crackers. It wasn’t the kind of thing I really ate, honestly. Grandma liked amanatto – sugared beans – and I’d gotten used to enjoying those with tea. It was more of an old person snack, but they were good, and I had a lot of good memories of eating them with Granny. “That’s really okay, but thank you.”

“No, no, I insist!” Ukitake began picking some out and pushing them into my hands while I sputtered.

“I can’t wander around the Seireitei with snacks piled in my arms…” I said, a bit taken aback by how strong Ukitake’s personality was sometimes.

_For a sick guy, he sure is enthusiastic about the weirdest things…_

In the end, I managed to beat a hasty, if polite, retreat from the Ugendo … with a bag to carry the snacks in as I flash-stepped back towards my company’s barracks. There was no way to resist Ukitake’s cheerful insistence without being rude, and I figured I’d already been accidentally rude enough as it was.

I could already hear Matsumoto complaining about how I’d clearly gone shopping without her.

_I wonder if all the captains here are this weird…_

What if that weirdness rubs off on me or something?

Now I had even more pointless things to worry about.

I sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo.  
> If you liked this story and want more (and faster), buy me a soul candy here: https://ko-fi.com/gigai
> 
> Reference Notes:
> 
> 天才児 versus 少年; I’ve seen arguments that claim Kubo refers to Toushiro as a “child” (天才児), not a “teenager” (少年), and therefore can’t be older than 12 when the series starts. This is simply inaccurate translation. 少年 (shounen) simply refers to anyone who’s a male that isn’t an adult – i.e., anyone under the age of 20. (In 2022 this will be lowered to 18, but that obviously doesn’t pertain to something in 2001, when the series starts.) The word 天才児 simply translates as child prodigy (literally “genius child”). There is no sense of shounen being equivalent to being a male teenager in Japanese; people simply use the American loanword ティーンエイジャー (teenager). There is also no word for “teenage genius” that I’m aware of, people either say 天才児 for kids or just 天才 for adults.
> 
> Toushiro and Momo’s ages; I ran out of room to note this in the last story (the notes are only so long), but essentially, on a height/weight chart for Japanese boys Toushiro would be average at 9 years old, or small for his age at 11. By the time he’s 13 he should be growing a little, but most guys don’t hit growth spurts until puberty, so I’m theorizing if he’s a late bloomer his growth spurt will hit about 14-15 (which will throw off his fighting for a bit while he adjusts to a new center of gravity and a longer reach). Since Momo looks much older than him in Chapter -16, I’m putting her at about 15 when the series starts, and 13 right now, which is also roughly in line with the height/weight charts based on her stats. Keep in mind that 1, Japanese BMI’s tend to run much lower than American ones, and 2, they have changed drastically over the last 100 years or so – people now tend to be much taller and somewhat heavier in 2000 than they would have historically been in Meiji era Japan. Women also tend to be slightly underweight, due to Japan’s obsession with body type (and Kubo tends to put lower than average weights for his female characters when compared to their heights, like many manga-ka do).
> 
> Ie 家; The story simplifies it a bit, but essentially keeping things like the main line of the family running continuously was (and still is for some families) extremely important. This was sometimes done by adopting a male heir who was formally and legally taken into the family (sometimes by marriage). The main household was 本家 (honke) and of higher status than the families that "branched" off the main family tree, known as 分家 (bunke). In theory this dealt with any potential issues of succession, but in practice this was sometimes a matter of contention, as Ukitake mentions.
> 
> Ukitake's siblings; No names that I can find are given, but the databooks state that he has several brothers and sisters and that he's the oldest. The Bleach wiki states he has five brothers and two sisters, but I can't find any citation for this (and many of the citations for the Bleach wiki have turned out to be completely wrong or randomly inserted to look authoritative when I've double checked them, so please take info from there with a massive saltshaker worth of salt!). If I can hunt that down in one of my tankobon or databooks I'll add in where that's referenced.
> 
> Yushiro Ukitake; The downside of having Bleach's loads and loads and LOADS of characters is that even many of the main ones suffer from having very little family background or named family members. So ... this story is going to end up with a lot of "OC's" as I keep going, purely through necessity of trying to flesh out the more personal lives of everyone. None of Ukitake's siblings are named, and it's not canon that Ukitake isn't the heir (though this wouldn't be uncommon if health was a concern). Nor is it canon that any of Ukitake's siblings have died. For the purposes of this story though, Yushiro was a year younger than Jushiro and passed away soon after being married and settled in as the heir of the household. There's more to the Ukitake family to come, I promise!
> 
> Original Characters - My goal is to avoid annoying OC's that detract from the story - there will be more showing up, and they may take larger roles here and there, but I want to avoid this turning into a bunch of Mary Sue creator's pets; the purpose is still to retell Bleach from the Shinigami side of things. Any OC's are there to move the plot forwards and keep the Seireitei and Rukongai feeling lively and full of people, and are not there to serve as all-knowing author creations or magical deus ex machina that derail the plot. (Nothing wrong with writing that, just not what I'm aiming for here.)

**Author's Note:**

> Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo.  
> If you liked this story and want more (and faster), buy me a soul candy here: https://ko-fi.com/gigai
> 
> Reference Notes:
> 
> -Bleach Tankobon 16; The unnamed soul reaper here is Miyako, though she hasn't married Kaien yet. Unfortunately, there just isn't much info on her outside of Rukia's flashback, so I'm just inventing a timeline for her and Kaien getting married. Since nobility generally had to marry with heirs in mind, and Miyako and Kaien aren't mentioned to have children by the time they both die, I'm assuming they hadn't been married more than a few years by then.
> 
> -The Ugendo is the little hut on stilts that Ukitake rests in when he's feeling unwell. It's on water, so I'm assuming that it would be more on the outskirts of the Seireitei - most sketches or shots of the overall Seireitei show mostly courtyards and paved areas towards the center.
> 
> The general layout of squads in the Seireitei isn't really known, aside from a few things that the manga and anime chose:
> 
> -Sokyoku Hill, the Senzaikyu (Repentance Palace), and the Central Great Underground Prison are all next to or under the barracks of Squad One, in the center of the city.
> 
> -The Chambers for Central 46, the houses of the nobility, and the houses of the Five Great Noble Families would likely be located in the center as well, where it's more secure.
> 
> -There is an outer wall of sekkiseki with four gates: the White Road Gate (West, leads to Junrinan) guarded by Jidanbo Ikkanzaka, the Red Hollow Gate (South) guarded by Higonyudo, the Black Ridge Gate (North) guarded by Danzomaru, and the Blue Stream Gate (East) guarded by Kaiwan.
> 
> -Episode 103 and several manga and anime shots show the Seireitei as being divided by the outer wall, a middle wall, and an inner wall. I'm interpreting this as the outermost circle containing eight squads, two to help guard each gate and the surrounding areas. The middle walled area would have three gates and be guarded by another three squads, and would contain the houses of the nobility, and appears to be the most densely built area. The innermost wall would contain the Squad One and Four barracks, Central 46, the estates for the Five Great Noble Families, the Kido Corp facilities, and the Onmitsukido, since they're so closely associated with the Shihoin family.
> 
> My placement of the Squads and their barracks and other facilities:  
> 1- In the innermost part of the Seireitei, which is canon.  
> 2 - Since they weren't originally associated with the Onmitsukido, they wouldn't be located near them, necessarily. They're guarding the North Gate.  
> 3 - Guarding the East Gate, which makes it all the more interesting that Gin showed up at the West Gate, where he wasn't technically in charge. (Foreshadowing!)  
> 4 - The actual Squad barracks and grounds are in the innermost circle of the city, to protect them, but relief stations are located in each quadrant, which Unohana visits regularly.  
> 5 - Guarding the West Gate, which conveniently keeps Aizen and all his subordinates away from Soi Fon and the Onmitsukido to the North...  
> 6 - Guarding one of the gates to the nobles quarters in the middle tier, since the leadership is traditionally passed down the Kuchiki family line.  
> 7 - Guarding the South Gate, which means that Seventh and Ninth Squads work together often.  
> 8 - Guarding one of the gates to the nobles quarters in the middle tier, which is about where the anime places it in one screenshot - not far from the center.  
> 9 - Guarding the South Gate.  
> 10 - Guarding one of the gates to the nobles quarters in the middle tier. I thought it would be interesting to have a non-noble suddenly dealing with this, since Shiba, Kuchiki, and Kyoraku are all nobles.  
> 11 - Guarding the East Gate, because imagining Kenpachi and Ichimaru trying to coordinate is hilarious, honestly.  
> 12 - Guarding the North Gate, and the Research Facilities are also here.  
> 13 - Guarding the West Gate, with a lake nearby and mountains visible from the outside while using the training grounds (the mountains and lake are canon).  
> Kido Corps - since the duties of the Kido Corps tend to be ceremonial or defensive in nature and they don't wield zanpakuto, it makes sense to stick them in the innermost circle.  
> Onmitsukido - Since they deal with the Maggots Nest, orders from Central 46, and the Shihoin Family, they also seem like they would logically be in the innermost circle.


End file.
